International Smoke at CityCentre sets July 5 opening

International Smoke, the new restaurant from celebrity chef Michael Mina and lifestyle expert Ayesha Curry will open at CityCenter July 5. Shown: rendering of restaurant.

International Smoke, the new restaurant from celebrity chef Michael Mina and lifestyle expert Ayesha Curry will open at CityCenter July 5. Shown: rendering of restaurant.

Photo: International Smoke

Photo: International Smoke

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International Smoke, the new restaurant from celebrity chef Michael Mina and lifestyle expert Ayesha Curry will open at CityCenter July 5. Shown: rendering of restaurant.

International Smoke, the new restaurant from celebrity chef Michael Mina and lifestyle expert Ayesha Curry will open at CityCenter July 5. Shown: rendering of restaurant.

Photo: International Smoke

International Smoke at CityCentre sets July 5 opening

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Reservations are being accepted beginning today for International Smoke, the new celebrity chef-led restaurant opening at CityCenter July 5.

The restaurant, described as an international approach to wood fire cooking, grilling and smoking is a collaboration between James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Mina of San Francisco and lifestyle expert and cookbook author Ayesha Curry.

The 6,000-square-foot former Straits space will feature a dining room with 130 seats and patio seating for an additional 140. The menu will be under the direction of new executive chef EJ Miller, whose resume includes Riel, Clark Cooper Concepts restaurants (SaltAir Seafood kitchen, Punk's Simple Southern Food and Coppa Ristorante Italiano) and Down House restaurant in the Heights.

International Smoke had its beginnings as a pop-up concept between Mina and Curry – a shared vision about global approaches to dishes touched by smoke and fire. The pop-up led to a capsule version of the restaurant that opened last year in a food hall in Hawaii. The Houston restaurant is a fully realized version of International Smoke concept (two others are set for Del Mar, Calif., and Aventura, Fla.) similar to the one that opened last year in San Francisco.

Mina, who was in Houston last month for a pop-up at Hugo's to preview International Smoke said he was thrilled to be coming to Houston, a city he knows well because of relatives who live here. He also is collaborating with Hugo Ortega for a restaurant – also born from a pop-up with Mina – called Mi Almita set to open in Los Angeles in 2019.

"Houston's incredible diversity, fearless cross pollination of cuisines and love for dining out put the city at the top of our list for expansion," Mina said. "A prime location at CityCentre cemented our decision given the bustling, pedestrian-oriented district's location at the crossroads of eclectic residential pockets and proximity to international traffic driven by business destinations including Westchase, Uptown and the Energy Corridor."

Signature dishes will include double duck wings with jerk spice, lemongrass pork chop with stir-fried clams and glass noodles, binchotan-grilled lobster with Japanese curry spiced yakiudon, and spice-crusted snapper with turmeric pickles and raita. At the Houston pop-up for International Smoke, Mina and Miller served Wagyu shaking beef lettuce wraps with banh mi pickles, soy-braised short ribs, Gulf snapper with fermented black bean and scallion vinaigrette, Hawaiian pork teriyaki with steamed buns and pineapple salsa, and several examples of barbecue.